“Déjà-Vu began with a scientific study in a retreat center,” explains Audrey Bernard, a management graduate and founder of the young Montreal company. “We knew about olfactory marketing, perfumery, aromatherapy, but we wanted to go deeper by evoking travel and memory through smells. We were right. We discovered how smells and the memories associated with them can have a real effect on anxiety.”

Smells that make you travel

It was at the MT Lab incubator that Audrey Bernard fell in love with the world of tourism and culture. She had just found her niche. "We moved towards olfactory and cultural experiences of destinations halfway between science and creativity." In particular, the company developed for the public, in partnership with Tourisme Montréal, the "five doors of Montréal", or five typical smells of the metropolis: City of 100 bell towers , Food Truck Festival , Winter Lights , Mont Royal in the rain and Festival Mania . More recently, it developed the international smell of Marseille.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Audrey Bernard and her team had to reinvent themselves. That's when the opportunity to produce pocket-sized antibacterial sprays arose. "I was returning from Paris where I was working on a destination experience for Galeries Lafayette. As soon as I got back, we received the Tourisme Montréal “Innovation” award at the Gala Distinction. On Friday, March 13, overnight, 80% of the contracts were put on hold. I told my team: “We have a week to come up with an idea!” We are creative, we bring well-being, we make people travel…, I was confident that we would succeed! Since we are a small company, we are used to being agile."

Until then, Stimulation Déjà Vu only created custom experiences for its customers. The company did not sell any products to the general public. “We developed hand sanitizers with the scents of Quebec. We added moisturizer and used high-quality ethanol to create a high-end product in the form of a pocket vaporizer. I called my mentor Guy Gervais who helped us with our transactional site.”

In addition to the three scents Balade en hiver , De retour de mon jardin and Voyage de ma fenêtre , Au pied de la montagne will be added in August, a product with relaxing effects. “It was an experience in itself to quickly become familiar with the world of online commerce and product deliveries, but we did well. I was very proud to develop products for consumers without distorting who we are.”

Designer and olfactory disinfection stations

In the midst of the pandemic, her innovation is making headway... Stimulation Déjà Vu is partnering with the young company Kippop, which specializes in design and street furniture. The two companies are teaming up to offer contactless experiential sanitary stations with the scents of Quebec. "Among our first clients, we have the Palais des congrès de Montréal, which will be able to offer a more pleasant welcome that complies with the health protocol of hand washing at the entrance. At the Musée Grévin, which will open its doors in September, we have personalized the offer: it is the characters who will offer the hydro-alcoholic solution upon reception." The entrepreneur is currently in discussions with the Galeries de la Capitale to create a station for visits to Santa Claus with a scent of the holiday season.

What will remain of this market once the pandemic is over? “We will certainly keep our transactional site and our products, even when the event contracts have resumed. These last few months have allowed us to gain notoriety and create connections with people, in particular by participating in shows like Salut Bonjour and La semaine des 4 Julie . In a world where everything had stopped, we went into accelerated mode. In all respects, we have learned a lot in recent months!”